Let’s first introduce the five members of our community who have spent the last four decades in the classroom, observing and learning what young people are thinking and doing.

Eve Meyers-Belkin

Eve began her career teaching French before moving into English and Drama. After 20 years in several challenging comprehensive schools, she joined Henrietta Barnett and spent two decades there as Head of English, teaching highly motivated students and witnessing major curriculum changes. She later supported new teachers through the Prince’s Teaching Institute, supervised trainee teachers, and now tutors GCSE and A-level English online. Eve still loves and misses teaching.

Victoria Boyarsky

Victoria studied history at university and initially resisted the idea of teaching, pursuing other work before training through an Open University PGCE while raising her first two children. She secured her first full-time post teaching history at Henrietta Barnett and then moved to South Hampstead. She gradually took on wider responsibilities, first as SENCO, then as head of year, and eventually deputy head, while continuing to teach history. While scaling back on some of these responsibilities, she still teaches history four days a week at South Hampstead.

 Micha Meyers

Micha spent most of his career teaching modern languages in North London comprehensive schools. Midway through his career, he became an EAL (English as an Additional Language) coordinator, eventually moving into the role full-time for his final eight years, supporting pupils with limited English and the teachers working with them. He found this work the most rewarding part of his career. Originally from the Netherlands, Micha now teaches Dutch online to two long-standing advanced students based in Estonia and Swindon.

Doris Hugh

Doris’s teaching career spanned 48 years, beginning at Haberdashers’ Girls before moving to Haberdashers’ Boys, and then moving to South Hampstead as Head of Modern Languages. She later became Head of Sixth Form alongside her languages role and ultimately stayed for 28 years. After retiring three years ago, she remains connected to the school as liaison for former staff and separately teaches English to Ukrainian refugees on a voluntary basis.

Anne Carter-Pegg

Anne began her career teaching reception children in the state sector in Merton, giving her an excellent insight into early education. She then taught Year One at Dulwich College Prep, where her interest in special educational needs was sparked. After a short break, raising two children, she retrained with the Dyslexia Institute, gaining a Post Graduate Diploma in Dyslexia and Literacy. She went on to teach in Prep schools in Kent and Surrey for seventeen years, giving 1-to-1 lessons for pupils with dyslexia. Now, she tutors from home and volunteers with the South East Surrey Dyslexia Association, supporting families through the charity.

New Ways of Seeing the World

Staying in touch with what young people are thinking has kept these members curious and open-minded. It has encouraged them to look ahead rather than back. Eve, Victoria, Micha, Doris, and Anne all reflected on the ideas that have emerged in their classrooms, and what stands out is how quickly these ideas shift from year to year. They revealed how younger generations are seeing the world and the conversations shaping their learning.

Eve said, “I think teaching English gives you real insight into what students are thinking, because you have so many opportunities for discussion. In recent years, the books they’re drawn to often explore themes like inequality and race. Topics that also came up increasingly before I retired were gender identity and transphobia.”

Doris mentioned some other recurring themes, including the Environment, Human Rights and Mental Health. One area of Mental Health that has seen change is special needs. Anne, a dyslexia specialist, has observed a growing understanding of dyslexia and an increasing focus on its strengths, from creativity in the arts to the many successful public figures who are dyslexic. The sentiment now, she says, is to “raise self-esteem rather than diminish it.”

Victoria, who is still teaching, noted how rapidly classroom interests evolve. Gender identity was once a dominant topic, but her students have recently turned their attention outward, towards world events rather than personal ones, perhaps reflecting wider global concerns. As a history teacher, she has seen certain subjects suddenly resonate more strongly:

“Since the Ukraine war, they are so interested in NATO and where it comes from. How did it happen? When we talk about the Soviet Union, Russia, East and West, the Cold War, it’s suddenly something they really want to understand. It links directly to what’s happening in the world around them.”

Doris offered another thought-provoking observation: despite their awareness and forward-thinking attitudes, today’s young people may be less idealistic than previous generations. “They are very focused on jobs and things like that — and quite understandably, given the economic climate.”

In other words, today’s young people may be more informed, but also more pragmatic than previous generations.

Modern Languages: Relevance in a Changing World

One interesting theme that emerged from the conversation was the perception of modern languages, particularly in a world of translation tools and global English.

Micha has always worked in challenging comprehensive schools with working-class students. He has felt that modern languages may no longer be relevant in many young people’s lives. Students from private schools or more affluent areas are more likely to travel abroad and have experiences that expose them to different languages. However, this is not the case for everyone.

Micha explained, “The motivation to learn another language is lacking for the majority of pupils in the English-speaking world, especially among working-class students. They understand that modern languages are unlikely to be relevant to their lives.”

This realisation prompted Micha to shift his focus and become an English as an Additional Language (EAL) teacher. “I was very happy to change direction and work in EAL, which is much more rewarding and connects with real motivation.”

Humanities vs Science

The focus of younger generations on securing jobs has influenced how they perceive different subjects in school. Eve, an English teacher, shared her struggles in persuading students to choose English as an A-level subject. She noted, “Science and math are highly valued by many students and parents because they are believed to lead to better-paying jobs in the future.”

Victoria added, “I think this emphasis comes from governments promoting STEM subjects, which means children are no longer studying simply for the sake of learning and education.”

Will things change with the rise of AI? Anne wonders, “Will creative subjects become more important again?”

Next Week’s Discussion

Next week, our group will continue this conversation by examining how this generation is utilising technology, how their experiences with younger individuals have influenced their own perspectives, and what the greatest gifts the younger generations can offer are.